The Mountain Princes

Prologue, Part I​

Wales in late 1066
Marked in red are the capitals of the Welsh principalities and kingdoms



Bleddyn ap Cynfyn, the founder of the House of Mathrafal and the most powerful man in Wales when William the Duke of Normandy was crowned King of England on Christmas Day 1066, had been ruling as King of Gwynedd and Powys for approximately 3 years when news of the Conqueror’s coronation in London reached his court in Aberffraw in the early days of 1067.



Though few records of his early life have survived, we do know that Bleddyn was born to Angharad ferch Maredudd (c. 982-1025), a princess of Deheubarth and the Queen of Powys, and her husband Cynfyn ap Gweryston of Powys (c. 1002-1063) around 1025. His younger brother Rhiwallon was born a short time later.



Little is known of his father’s ancestry, while his mother Angharad, in contrast, was of a well-known line - the royal House of Dinefwr, which was descended from Cadell, a younger son of Rhodri ap Merfyn, also called “Rhodri the Great”.



Born circa 820 to the King of Gwynedd and a daughter of the King of Powys, Rhodri inherited the throne of Gwynedd on his father’s death in 844 and the throne of Powys from his uncle, who died while on pilgrimage to Rome, in 855. During his reign he fought the English and the Danes. According to the annals, the Danes ravaged Anglesey in 854 and two years later Rhodri killed Gorm, their leader. In 872 Rhodri added Seisyllwg to his domain after his wife’s brother the King of Seisyllwg drowned, making him the ruler of the greater part of Wales. In 876 Rhodri fought another battle against the Danes on Anglesey, after which he had to flee to Ireland. In 877 or 878, Rhodri and his son Gwriad were said to have been killed by the English under King Alfred of Wessex, later known as Alfred the Great.
Rhodri was survived by his three sons Anarawd, Cadell, and Merfyn. Anarawd became the King of Gwynedd, Cadell became the King of Seisyllwg, and Merfyn became King of Powys.



Anarawd, later recognized as the founder of the House of Aberffraw, defeated a Mercian invasion in 881 in a bloody battle at the mouth of the River Conwy which was hailed in the annals as “God’s vengeance for Rhodri”. After an unsatisfactory alliance with the Danish King of York, Anarawd came to an agreement with Alfred “the Great” of Wessex and recognized Alfred’s supremacy in exchange for his protection. Anarawd died in 916 and was succeeded by his son, Idwal the Bald.



Cadell would later be recognized as the founder of the House of Dinefwr. He and his son Hywel conquered Dyfed in 904 and 905, a few years before Cadell’s death, and Hywel was established as the ruler of Dyfed. After Cadell’s death in 909, Seisyllwg was split between his two sons Hywel and Clydog, in accordance with Welsh custom.



Hywel and Clydog jointly submitted to Edward (later known as the Elder) of England in 918. Two years later, after his brother’s death, Hywel merged the two kingdoms of Dyfed and Seisyllwg to form the Kingdom of Deheubarth. In 928 Hywel made a pilgrimage to Rome and became the first Welsh prince to return from such an endeavor. After returning from his pilgrimage he forged close ties with Athelstan of England.

In 942 Hywel’s cousin Idwal the Bald, King of Gwynedd, decided to break free of English suzerainty and took up arms against the English king Edmund. Idwal and his brother Elisedd were both killed in battle with the English armies. By custom Idwal’s crown would have passed to his sons Iago and Idwal, but Hywel invaded Gwynedd, sending Iago and Idwal (known to the annals as Ieuaf, meaning junior, to avoid confusion with his father Idwal the Bald) into exile and established himself as the ruler of Gwynedd and Powys, which made him king of most of Wales, only excepting Gwent and Morgannwg in the south.
According to tradition, Hywel called an assembly of learned men and scholars from his kingdom some time between 942 and 950 to codify Welsh law. Hywel would later become known as “Hywel the Good” (Welsh: Hywel Dda) because his laws were just and good.

When Hywel died in 950 he was succeeded by his sons Owain, Rhodri, and Edwin as the rulers of Deheubarth and Powys. They were unable to maintain control of Gwynedd after being defeated in battle by Iago and Ieuaf ap Idwal. Fighting between the sons of Idwal and the sons of Hywel continued, with Iago and Ieuaf raiding as far south as Dyfed in 952 and the sons of Hywel in 954 invading as far north as the Conwy valley before they were defeated near Llanrwst and forced to retreat to Ceredigion.
Rhodri ap Hywel died in 953 and Edwin in 954, which left Owain as sole ruler of Deheubarth.



Owain and his son Einon turned to the east and attacked Morgannwg in 960, 970, and 977. While fighting in the east in 984, Einon was killed by noblemen of Gwent. After Einon’s death, Owain’s second son Maredudd replaced his brother in leadership of Deheubarth’s armies and in 986 conquered Gwynedd, ousting Ieuaf’s son Cadwallon. The next year Owain died and Maredudd became king of Deheubarth as well as Gwynedd.



Maredudd was constantly troubled by the Norsemen during his reign, and spent most of his reign fighting either the Norsemen or his neighbors. He is recorded as paying large ransoms to free his subjects that had been taken into captivity. Maredudd died in 999 and was succeeded as King of Gwynedd and Deheubarth by Cynan ap Hywel of the house of Aberffraw. Maredudd's only son died before he did, but contrary to the usual customs his daughter Angharad was recognized as being capable of transmitting royal right to her descendants. Some sources say Llwelyn ap Seisyll inherited Powys on Maredudd’s death through his marriage to Maredudd’s oldest daughter Angharad.



Cynan ap Hywel ruled Gwynedd and Deheubarth until 1005. The circumstances by which he was succeeded by Aeddan ap Blegywryd have not survived. Since Aeddan was not in the direct line of succession, one theory is that Aeddan may have seized the throne by force. In any case, Aeddan ruled until 1018, when he and his four sons were killed in battle by Llwelyn ap Seisyll. According to the Brut y Tywysogion, Llwelyn’s reign was a time of prosperity, though it only lasted until his death in 1023. At least one source attributes his assassination to Madog Min, the Bishop of Bangor.

Llwelyn was succeeded as King of Gwynedd by Iago ab Idwal of the House of Aberffraw.



Llwelyn's widow Angharad ferch Maredudd married Cynfyn ap Gweryston and they had a daughter and two sons (Bleddyn and Rhiwallon) before Angharad's death around 1025.

Deheubarth and Powys was seized by Rhydderch ap Iestyn, the King of Morgannwg, who would rule for another ten years before his death, which came at the hands of the Irish according to the chronicle known as Brut y Tywysogion. When Rhydderch died, Hywel ab Edwin and his brother Maredudd, great-grandsons of Hywel Dda, became the rulers of Deheubarth. Maredudd died in 1035 and Hywel was attacked by Norse raids and, after 1039, Gruffydd ap Llwelyn.

Iago ab Idwal, the King of Gwynedd, was killed by his own men in 1039 and Gruffydd ap Llwelyn (born 1007), the son of Llwelyn ap Seisyll and Angharad ferch Maredudd, became the King of Gwynedd and Powys. Iago’s son Cynan was forced to flee to Ireland, where he took refuge in Dublin.



Shortly after coming to power, Gruffydd surprised a Mercian army near the English border and killed its commander, a brother of Leofric, the English Earl of Mercia. Gruffydd then attacked Deheubarth, defeating its ruler Hywel ab Edwin in battle near Pencader in 1041. About 1043 Gruffydd was apparently able to drive Hywel out of Deheubarth, since it was recorded that Hywel brought a Danish fleet to the mouth of the River Towy in 1044 for an ultimately unsuccessful bid to regain his kingdom. Gruffydd defeated and killed him in a close fight.

Gruffydd ap Rhydderch of Gwent expelled Gruffydd ap Llwelyn from Deheubarth in 1047 after an attack killed 140 of Gruffydd ap Llwelyn’s household guard and he became King of Deheubarth, resisting several attacks from Gruffydd ap Llwelyn in the coming years. In 1052 Gruffydd ap Llwelyn was active on the Welsh border, attacking Herefordshire and defeating a mixed army of Normans and English near Leominster.

In 1055, Gruffydd ap Llwelyn killed Gruffydd ap Rhydderch in battle and retook Deheubarth. He then allied with Ælfgar, a son of Leofric the Earl of Mercia who had been outlawed for treason.



They marched on Hereford and were opposed by a force armed and mounted in the Norman fashion led by the Earl of Hereford, Ralph the Timid. On October 24, 1055 Gruffydd defeated the Earl of Hereford’s men. Hereford was sacked and its Norman castle destroyed. Harold Godwinson, the Earl of Wessex, was given the task of counter-attacking, and gathered forces from much of England to drive the invaders back into Wales.



Shortly thereafter a peace agreement was concluded. Ælfgar was reinstated and allowed to succeed to the Earldom of Mercia on his father’s death, and Gruffydd swore to be a faithful vassal of King Edward of England.
Around this time Gruffydd was able to conquer Morgannwg and Gwent, as well as territory along the border with England. In 1056 he defeated another English army near Glasbury and claimed sovereignty over all of Wales.

Ælfgar succeeded his father Leofric as Earl of Mercia on his father’s death in 1057, and Gruffydd probably married Ælfgar’s daughter Ealdgyth around the same time. The death of Ælfgar in 1062, however, left Gruffydd vulnerable, and a surprise attack by Harold Godwinson on Gruffydd’s court at Rhuddlan in late 1062 nearly resulted in Gruffydd’s capture. He narrowly escaped out to sea aboard one of his ships, though his other ships were destroyed. In the spring of 1063 Harold’s brother Tostig, the Earl of Northumbria, led an army into northern Wales while Harold led a fleet to south Wales and then to meet his brother’s army in the north.



Gruffydd was forced to take refuge in Snowdonia, and according to the Brut y Tywysogion he was killed by his own men on August 5, 1063. Another source says he was betrayed by Madog Min, Bishop of Bangor, who had been promised three hundred cattle by Harold of England for his betrayal. Harold refused to pay the Bishop and Madog Min perished in a shipwreck while sailng to Dublin in Ireland. Gruffydd ap Cynan’s widow Ealdgyth would marry Harold Godwinson after Gruffydd’s death and before Harold’s defeat by the Normans at the Battle of Hastings.

The Final Prologue

Saithis: Thanks!
RedRoman: Well, originally it was going to be in more of a history textbook style, but after reading several narrative AARs, deciding I wanted to write a narrative AAR at some point, seeing your question, and briefly contemplating switching styles for each ruler, I decided that there's no time like the present, and so this will be a narrative AAR.

Prologue III​

​

After Gruffydd’s death, Bleddyn and his brother Rhiwallon submitted to King Edward and Earl Harold and received Gwynedd and Powys.



After the news reached Wales of Harold’s defeat in the Battle of Hastings, Bleddyn allied with Ælfgar’s sons Morcar and Edwin, who were the Earl of Northumbria and the Earl of Mercia respectively, and with Edric Wilde Ælfricson, an English thegn that held extensive property along the Welsh border.


Estmond commands his father's army as of late December 1066

Edric the Wild


Morcar and Edwin were among the initial supporters of Edgar the Ætheling as Harold’s successor to the English throne, but as Edgar was only in his early teens and his supporters lacked an effective military response to the Norman invaders, the powerful English nobles of the Witan submitted to William of Normandy and Edgar was never crowned. Edgar and his mother and sisters boarded a ship bound for Europe, but they were blown off course and wound up in the court of the King of Scotland, who married Edgar's older sister Margaret soon thereafter.

The House of Mathrafal in late 1066

While the circumstances of their education and youth are not recorded, it seems likely that as princes of Powys Bleddyn, his brother Rhiwallon, and their older sister Eferydd probably spent most of their youth in Powys. Due to being the maternal half-brothers of Gruffydd ap Llweyln, they may have spent some time in their half-brother’s court, particularly after Gruffydd became King of Gwynedd and Powys in 1039.

Eferydd, who was born circa 1023, married Edwin ap Goronwy, the Lord of Tegaingl, no later than 1040. As of late 1066, her husband had made diplomatic relations with other rulers her responsibility, while their son Owain served as the commander of his father's army.



Bleddyn married his first wife Haer ferch Gillyn Efionydd around 1044, and they had three sons and a daughter before Haer’s untimely death in 1049: Maredudd (born 1047), Madog (born 1048), Rhiryd (born 1049), and Efa (born 1049).



Bleddyn’s second wife was Branwen Nwrcelyn, and they had two children before Branwen died in 1052: Hunydd (born 1050) and Llywarch (born 1052).



While married to his second wife, Bleddyn also fathered two illegitimate sons with a Gwenllian of Powys: Maelog (born 1050) and Rhirid (born 1051)



Bleddyn was married to his third wife Morien ferch Madog Maelienydd before the birth of their first son Iorwerth in 1053.
The mother of Bleddyn’s youngest son Cadwgan (born 1059) is not recorded, but since he is recorded as being a legitimate son, it seems reasonable to assume that he was also a son of Bleddyn and Morien.



If Bleddyn's younger brother Rhiwallon ever married before 1067, the name of his wife or wives have not survived. However, he was known to have had at least three children by this time, all of whom were born in the late 1040s: Meilyr, Sioned, and Gwladys.



In late 1066, Sioned was supposedly serving as an advisor to her father, though her current capacity is currently unknown. Gwladys is recorded as being married to a Rhys serving as the penteulu* to a Welsh prince, though at least two penteulus of this name are known to have existed at this time - Rhys Edern, penteulu of Bleddyn ap Cynfyn King of Gwynedd and Powys, and Rhys ap Tewdwr, who was at this time serving as penteulu to his second cousin Rhys ap Owain the Prince of Deheubarth.


*Penteulu was the Welsh for the captain of the personal bodyguard, or teulu, of the Welsh princes and chieftains of the Middle Ages. I think this is how I'm going to represent what the game calls a Marshal, at least for the Welsh rulers.
Gwladys ferch Rhiwallon is represented, at least in DVIP, as being married to two people. Granted, Rhys Edern is almost 70 years old at the start of the game, but that didn't stop him from fathering a child in one of my Welsh games before he died of old age.

RedRoman: I remember reading part of Rome AARisen a long time ago - I think I remember getting as far as the Romans fighting the Mongols, and I don't remember now why I stopped. I've started reading it again recently, but as of now I'm only fifty-odd pages into it, and I've probably been sporadically reading it for a couple of months. I'm not sure what I'll do about non-CK pictures of characters, since to my knowledge there are very few movies or TV shows about medieval Wales.

Tanzhang: Originally I was going to write a history of Wales starting with the Roman conquest of Britannia, but I think I decided a thousand years might be a bit too much prologue.

Saithis: Thank you!

This update is being posted a little bit later than originally planned, since there was some kind of technical issue that prevented me from replying to my own topic. Since it coincided with the temporary disappearance of the Crusader Kings AAR subforum and creation of the Crusader Kings 2 AAR forum, I blame CK2. Of course, starting an AAR for a game about two weeks before its sequel is released could also be to blame, but that would be implying that I made a mistake. Also, while writing this I realized it's been a long time since I've written anything with dialogue.

Part I: The Meeting​

January 1, A.D. 1067

The Christmas festivities had been a beacon of light and warmth in the typically cold, wet, and dark Welsh winter. The unusual thing about this winter, Bleddyn reflected, was the marriage proposals. He had several children old enough for marriage, including both of his daughters, but he had been putting off finding husbands for his daughters, and even his older sons were a little young- he was 40, and figured he still had some time left to live. A delegation had arrived from Sardinia to ask for the marriage of his eldest daughter Efa to a Sardinian king, but unfortunately there was a lack of suitable maps at the royal court.



After consulting the Bishop of Bangor (who happened to be at the royal court to celebrate Christmas) a suitable map had been borrowed from the Monastery of Saint Deiniol at Bangor, and when the rider carrying the map finally returned Bleddyn had summoned his advisers to a small room in the royal chambers.

The door opened and Bleddyn turned his head, expecting to see one of his advisers. He was surprised to see his sister Eferydd standing in the doorway. He remembered being told that she had persuaded her husband and son to come to Aberffraw with their son Owain for the Christmas feast.

He stood. “Good day, sister. Do you need something?”
“Yes, brother.” Eferydd stepped into the room and closed the door behind her before turning back to face Bleddyn.
“Would you consider marrying your daughter Efa to my son Owain?”



Bleddyn frowned and thought for a moment before answering.
“Wouldn’t that require special dispensation from the Church? I thought they frowned on marriages between close relatives.”
“Well, yes,” Eferydd admitted, “but Owain could use someone to help him with diplomacy as I help Edwyn. He’s better than his father at Gwyddbwyll and Efa is, from what I hear, doing very well helping to manage your relations with other rulers.”
There was a light knock on the door and Bleddyn said “Enter.”
Eferydd stepped to one side of the door and turned to see who it was. Efa stood in the doorway carrying some rolls of parchment in one hand.
“I’m sorry, am I interrupting something?”
“No, of course not, come in.”
Bleddyn turned to Eferydd. “Sister, I’ll have to consider your proposal and discuss it with my advisers. I’m sure you understand.”
“Of course.” Eferydd inclined her head and left. Efa was about to close the door when Bleddyn’s wife Morien and his son Rhiryd walked into the room.

Rhiryd was the first to speak.
“What was she doing here?” he asked with a puzzled expression.
“She had a proposal that we’ll have to discuss,” Bleddyn explained.
“Before we get started, we’ll have to wait for Rhys.”
As soon as he had said the words, the old penteulu entered the room and closed the door behind him.
“Am I late?”
“No, Rhys, I was talking to my sister and everyone else just got here. Everyone, if you’ll take a seat, we can get started.”
Bleddyn had been seated at the end of the rectangular table farthest from the door. Morien took the chair on his left side, while Rhys sat on his right. Efa sat to Morien’s left and Rhiryd sat to the right of Rhys.


Advisors to Bleddyn, King of Gwynedd and Powys


“As you all know, a few days ago we received an emissary from Sardinia. My sister, who I was talking to just before Efa got here, also was asking about marriage. We obviously have a few things to discuss. Rhiryd?”
Rhiryd produced the map and spread it on the table, turning the map so his father could see it.


The map at the meeting might have resembled this Anglo-Saxon map dated to the early 11th century.

“You can read Latin, can’t you?” Bleddyn directed the question to his children with a glance at each of them. He certainly couldn’t - his youth and adolescence had featured more emphasis on swordsmanship than penmanship.
“Yes, father.” Efa and Rhiryd couldn’t completely hide their irritation at being asked, though their father had not asked about their lessons in a long time.
Rhiryd began to speak.
“Most maps are drawn with east at the top. Jerusalem is... here, in the center of the map. To the east is Asia, to the south is Africa, and to the north is Europe.” He leaned over the map and squinted before starting to talk again.

“Here’s Italy,” he said, pointing at a peninsula, “and here’s Rome. Over here a little west of Italy is Sardinia.”
Bleddyn said, “Didn’t the the letter from the Prince of Cagliari say he ruled the southern half of the island?”
Efa shuffled through a small stack of loose parchment. “I should have it- yes, it’s right here.”
She read the parchment before speaking again. “It does say that he rules the southern half of the island of Sardinia.”
Rhiryd pointed to the map again. “Here’s France, and here’s the British Isles - England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland.”
Bleddyn asked, “How long would it take to travel to Sardinia?”
Rhiryd spoke. “I spent some time talking to the Sardinian delegation. That priest said that he had left Rome in October, and the Sardinian had already been traveling for weeks before he even reached Rome.”
Efa interrupted. “Wait, how did you understand what the Sardinian was saying?”
“I spoke with the priest one evening, and he told me that the Sardinian had traveled for some time before he found someone in Rome who spoke Welsh.”

Bleddyn looked at his daughter.
“Efa, what do you think?” After a moment, Bleddyn quickly added, “Strictly from a diplomatic standpoint.”
“Due to distance, we don’t have any relations with any of the lands surrounding the Mediterranean, apart from the occasional interaction with the Pope.”
Morien spoke up. “I really don’t think there would be any advantage to marrying Efa to the Prince of Cagliari. It might be different if it were only a few days’ travel, but traveling across France and half of Italy in order to get to Sardinia doesn’t seem worth the effort and expense.”
Rhiryd nodded. “When I asked the Sardinian messenger about his trip, he mentioned Muslim pirates, which would add complications to such a journey.”


“You’re right,” Bleddyn said. “It sounds like we may have to politely decline. Efa, can you work on that when we’re done here?”
“Of course.”
“Next, my sister has proposed that Efa marry her son Owain.”
Efa looked puzzled. “Wouldn’t that require dispensation from the Church?”
“I think so,” Bleddyn said, “but since none of us here are canon law experts I should probably consult the Bishop.”
Efa looked like she was going to say something before Bleddyn continued.
“While Owain and Efa are both currently unmarried, I would prefer to marry my eldest daughter to improve relations with other rulers, not to give any vassals a future claim on the throne.”
Bleddyn looked at his advisors. Everyone seemed to think this was reasonable.
“Efa, when you write that letter make sure to emphasize how reluctant I am to reject a proposal from my dear sister.”
“Of course, father.”
“Efa, have there been any other marriage-related news?”
“We still haven’t heard back from Edric of Shrewsbury regarding our offering Hunydd, and that’s the only marriage proposal I’m aware of apart from the Prince of Cagliari and Lord of Tegaingl’s proposals for my hand.”
Bleddyn nodded.
“We should find brides for your brothers... Efa, do you know of any potential brides?”
Efa ruffled through her pieces of parchment.
“The King of the Isles has a sister that should be old enough to marry, and I think the Prince of Morgannwg had an unmarried cousin. I’m not sure about anywhere else.”
“We should send messengers to the Hebrides and Morgannwg, then.”
“Consider it done.”
Rhiryd looked at Efa across the table.
“What about looking all around the Irish Sea and on our borders? There’s Northumbria, Scotland, the English border lords, Ireland...”
Efa shrugged. “We could send emissaries to all of them, though it might be a while before they return.”
“Efa?”
“Yes, father?”
“Make sure your emissaries are also looking for suitable men for you and Hunydd.”
Efa managed to hide most of her frustration.
“Of course.”
Bleddyn looked at his other advisors now.
“Any other news or business to take care of?”
“I don’t think so.”
“No.”
“No.”
“No.”
“Good. We’re done. You’re all dismissed.”
Everyone stood and gathered their things. Efa was the first to leave, followed by Rhys and then Rhiryd. Morien kissed Bleddyn on the cheek before she left, and after she had left Bleddyn stood and stretched.

If the King of the Isles did agree to a marriage, his ships and men could be useful, Bleddyn reflected. If the Normans managed to establish themselves in England, Wales by itself could not stand against England in pitched battle, particularly if Wales wasn't under a single ruler, as it had been under his half-brother Gruffydd.
He remembered that Gruffydd ap Cynan, the pretender to the throne of Gwynedd from the House of Aberffraw, was supposedly living with relatives of his Norse mother near Dublin. Dublin was currently ruled by a son of the King of Leinster. The King of Leinster was also one of the Irish kings who claimed to be High King of Ireland, but his claim was disputed.

The King of the Isles claimed Dublin and the Isle of Mann, both ruled by sons of the King of Leinster, as being rightfully his. But before attacking Ireland, Bleddyn thought, he should bring the rest of Wales under his rule to prevent the possibility of the rulers of southern Wales causing trouble while he was away. He’d have to talk to Rhys about that - he had put the penteulu in charge of the army in addition to his personal bodyguard. Rhiryd should be able to tell him roughly how many men the King of Deheubarth could muster. Maybe there would be something to look forward to this summer.

Alfredian: Thanks. Regardless of entertaining and implausible trans-continental marriage propositions, in medieval Europe it seems doubtful that there would be much contact between the Mediterranean and the British Isles, Scandinavia, Eastern Europe, or others on the edge of (Catholic) civilization.

Saithis: Slow and steady wins the race, right?

Interlude

Short version of the game I was originally going to use for this AAR:

1067: Marriages, then war with Deheubarth.
1068: War with Deheubarth won. Peace. Some of Bleddyn's sons argue with their wives. Babies born, and one of Bleddyn's daughters-in-law dies in childbirth.
1069: More peace and babies. In November, William "the Bastard" of England lays claim to the county of Gwynedd after some years of crushing rebellious English nobles.
1070: After coming into some extra money, on April 1 Bleddyn ap Cynfyn is crowned King of Wales. The Welsh rulers who aren't already his vassals pledge allegiance. Still peaceful, at least in Wales.
1071: On January 18, England and its ally, the Duchy of Brittany, declare war on Wales.

I managed to last a couple years against England and Brittany, and I could win battles where I had numerical superiority or a better commander. After invading England at Chester and defeating an English army there, I fought Breton and English armies in Gwynedd repeatedly, and finally ran out of soldiers (at one point in Gwynedd, there were approximately 7000 men under William the Conquerer facing 2000-odd men under Bleddyn - fun times!).

After that frustration, I've spent most of the last month having nothing to do with Wales, and instead messing around in northern Ireland and some of my other saved games. Thankfully, at this stage of 'rebooting' I don't have to do anything other than write another update, since I couldn't decide what to write the next update about in the first place, and 6 years seemed too short for an AAR, for some reason.

Hopefully I'll have a real update posted later this week.

Another Meeting

No, this hasn't been abandoned quite yet.



January 14, A.D. 1067

Maredudd was glad to be back on land again. The first few days after leaving Gwynedd had been rough, but several of the more experienced sailors claimed that the sea had been surprisingly smooth, considering the season. Maredudd took them at their word, and hoped that after this voyage he wouldn’t have to make any more sea voyages for a while. Ivor, the armored and cloaked man who had taken charge of them once they got off the ship, said something in Irish.

“Father Padrig.”
“Yes, your highness?”
“Did he just say that we’re here?”
“Yes, your highness.”
“Thank you again for those Irish lessons.”
“I’m glad to be of service.”

The Welsh party was approaching a palisade, accompanied by several men in the service of the King of the Isles. Originally, the party that left Gwynedd had consisted of Maredudd, Father Padrig, and ten men from Maredudd’s father’s teulu, but after negotiating with the men who had greeted their ship, and due to a lack of available horses, most of the men had been left to guard the ship.
Now that they were closer to the enclosure, Maredudd watched as a man wearing a thick woolen cloak came into view, lifted a hand to his mouth, and yelled something in Irish that sounded like “What’s happening? Who are those men?”
Ivor turned his head and said “Stop here.”
Maredudd and Padrig reined their horses in and the two warriors that had accompanied them on the voyage followed suit. Ivor rode ahead a short distance as one of them asked “What’d he say?”
Maredudd turned his head. It must have been the younger one who asked. He looked more nervous, anyway - the other one, if he was nervous, was doing a very good job of not showing it. He didn’t even appear to be shivering.
“You’re Iorwerth, right?”
“Oh, uh, yes, your highness.”
Maredudd indicated Ivor, now several horse-lengths ahead of them, with a jerk of his head.
“He said to stop here, and is probably going to tell this guard who we are.”
Iorwerth bowed his head.
“Uh, thank you, sir.”
Maredudd nodded.
“You’re welcome.”
Maredudd turned back to watch, just as Ivor called to the sentry.
“Maredudd, son of the King of the Welsh, is here to meet with our lord!”
The sentry near the palisade appeared to be talking to someone behind him, and then replied to Ivor by yelling “Bring them in out of the cold.”
Ivor turned back and called to the Welshmen behind him “Come on.”
Maredudd, Padrig, the two Welsh warriors, and Ivor’s men rode forward. Ivor remained where he was until Maredudd was almost level with him, and began riding just ahead of Maredudd and Padrig.

The few buildings inside the palisade were boarded up against the wind and cold. While the wind was definitely less strong inside the palisade, it still wasn’t quite warm enough to cause anyone in their right mind to spend any more time outside than absolutely necessary. Ivor directed the party where to dismount, and as soon as possible they entered the hall.

Once Maredudd’s eyes adjusted to the dim hall, he could see that the hundred or so people standing in small groups all around the hall were all looking at the unexpected visitors. He idly wondered if this was the population of the whole island. There were two thrones standing on a dais, and some benches along the walls. Once they had come within five paces of the thrones, the occupant of one of the thrones, a young man who Maredudd suspected was close to his own age, began to speak in accented Irish.

“Good day, men of Wales! I am Gofraid son of Aralt, King of the Isles! What brings you to my court?”
Maredudd was glad to see that his suspicions had been correct.

Maredudd bowed and said in Irish, "Your majesty, I am Maredudd, eldest son of Bleddyn, King of the Britons. This is Father Padrig, a priest, and Iorwerth and Cadog behind me are part of my father’s personal guard.” Padrig bowed, followed by the two warriors.
"My father sent me with a proposal that, if you accept, could benefit both our kingdoms."
Maredudd produced a roll of parchment bearing his father’s seal.
The King of the Isles looked intrigued.
“I must admit that I have yet to venture any further south than the Isle of Man, but I am willing to consider such a proposal. Ivor?”
Maredudd handed the parchment to Ivor, who handed it to the King, bowed, and returned to his place between Maredudd and his king.
The King of the Isles could either read Latin or was a good enough actor to make it appear as if he could. Before he left, Efa had given him a summary of the letter’s contents - Bleddyn ap Cynfyn, King of Gwynedd and Powys, proposed that his son and heir Maredudd be married to Helga, sister of Godred Haraldsson Crovan, King of the Isles.
“Allow me to meet with my advisors and consider this proposal.”
Maredudd bowed.
“Of course, your majesty.”
“In the meantime, why don’t you spend the night here? I’ll send a messenger and the rest of your men can dine with us tonight as well.”
“You are generous, your majesty.”

Ivor steered Maredudd, Padrig, and the other two Welshmen away from the dais as a few men and women huddled around the King of the Isles. Maredudd looked around the hall and tried to judge how the king’s meeting with his advisers was going, but there didn’t appear to be any strenuous objections, if the advisors were anything to go by.

“How was my Irish, Father?”
“Quite good, your highness.”
“Thank you.”
They stood in silence for a few moments before Iorwerth spoke.
“Where did you learn Irish, Father?”
“I spent some time in an Irish monastery.”
“Oh. Do you mind if I ask you what just happened?”
“Of course not. The King of the Isles - that young man on the throne -introduced himself, greeted us Welshmen and asked what brought us here. Prince Maredudd introduced us and said that he had a proposal that could benefit both the King of the Isles and the King of Gwynedd and Powys.”
“What did the King of the Isles say?”
“He said he’d discuss it with his advisers and invited us to eat and spend the night here.”
“Just us, or everyone from the ship?”
Maredudd was surprised that Cadog had said anything - he hadn’t heard him say anything all day. If the priest was surprised, he hadn’t shown it.
"The King said that he’d send for the rest of the men."
Maredudd had been half-listening to Father Padrig’s explanation and straining to listen in on the other whispered conversations in the hall when the circle of advisers around the king’s throne suddenly split. A young woman, who Maredudd assumed was the King’s wife, sat in the throne at his left hand, and the other men and woman stood behind and to either side of the thrones. The king spoke.
"Maredudd son of Bleddyn!"
Maredudd stepped forward as heads turned in his direction.
"Yes, your majesty?"
"I have decided to accept your father’s proposal."
Maredudd bowed his head. "Thank you, your majesty."



The king smiled and said "You can sit at my right hand when we eat tonight, and we can discuss the wedding."
"You are too kind, your majesty."
"Assuming that you want to go to the trouble of having a wedding before you leave..."
Maredudd laughed politely. He had a feeling that Father Padrig would frown on the idea, never mind the joke, and even if he were so inclined he wasn't sure if he would feel well enough for fornication while seasick.
"Well, it's a good thing I brought a priest then, isn't it?"
"Indeed!" The king laughed. "I should probably visit Gwynedd, though, particularly if you're going to marry my sister."
"We would be honored by your visit, your majesty." Maredudd wondered what his father would think, and how many people Gofraid might bring.

A man wearing a thick cloak entered the hall and bowed.

"The rest of the Welsh are on their way here, your majesty."

"Good!" The king turned and said something to one of his advisers, who left.

"Our meal should be ready soon. I'm sure you are hungry after your journey."

"It does seem like I haven't eaten since Christmas, your majesty."

Stat comparison time!

Despite my toying with ideas for other AARs, this particular AAR is still not quite dead, though I do wonder if I might have been a bit too ambitious.

February 2, A.D. 1067


“After the marriages of my two eldest sons,” Bleddyn said, “I can now focus my attention on the marriage of my two daughters.” He was standing in a room of the royal residence, and his council were sitting around a table. Bleddyn had wondered how Efa and Rhiryd might react if he said that, and if they had any strong feelings they were hiding them well.
“I’m sure you all remember that a month ago we sent emissaries to the Earl of Mercia, the King of the Isles, and the Prince of Morgannnwg.”


He had proposed that Efa marry Estmond Edwinson, the son of the Earl of Mercia, with the idea that the anti-Norman alliance proposed by the Earls of Mercia and Northumbria could be strengthened with blood ties, but that had been politely declined.

There had been little interaction between the Welsh princes and the Norman invaders, but Bleddyn privately believed that if the new Norman king of the English planned to send any messages demanding submission, he would probably wait until the arrival of spring. Maredudd’s journey to the court of the King of the Isles had fortunately been more successful than the emissary sent to the Earl of Mercia, and the Prince of Morgannwg had apparently been glad to marry a cousin to Madog.

Madog ap Bleddyn and Nest ferch Gwrgant



“As I’m sure you already know, earlier today emissaries from the Breton Earl of Cornwall arrived with a proposal that their lord Brient marry Efa. Do any of you have anything to say about this?”



Bleddyn looked around the table. Morien had said last month that she didn’t think it was her place to contribute her opinion on arranging marriages for Bleddyn’s oldest children, since she hadn’t given birth to them and she wasn’t that much older than they were. Initially, that seemed like a ridiculous thing to say, since she was after all Queen Consort of Gwynedd and Powys, but her expertise was, after all, more in the line of managing wealth than managing relations with other rulers.
“The good thing about the Earl of Cornwall,” said Rhys absently, “is that he is, at least, not directly on our eastern border.”
Rhiryd and Efa, for a few moments, looked startled by the old penteulu’s unexpected comment. Bleddyn smiled, and Rhys appeared to be looking at no one in particular, not noticing the reaction.
“My expertise is in commanding armies, and not diplomacy or business,” Rhys continued, “but Cornwall is unlikely to take up arms against us.”
He paused again for a moment, with a thoughtful look. Bleddyn thought he understood what Rhys meant, but said nothing.
“That is to say, if the English king ordered his lords to war against us, Cornwall is farther away from us than, say, Hereford - where Hereford is only a short march from our border, Cornwall is much farther away. While he could still send men against us if his king commanded it, I don’t think he would be able to send as many as he would if he were closer.”
Efa was next to speak. “This council has already discussed the lack of any suitable Welsh princes.”
Bleddyn was considering pressing his claim to the throne of Deheubarth at the head of an army. Marrying one of his daughters to a member of the prince of Deheubarth’s family would, in that circumstance, be awkward at best. As for the princes of northern Wales - Bleddyn’s nephew Owain of Tegaingl, and his brother Rhiwallon and nephew Meilyr of Powys - they were too closely related. The Pope might have been willing to allow dispensation, but the Pope was far away and Bleddyn didn’t feel like either spending the money to make inquiries or binding the family that close. Bleddyn also didn’t like the idea of marrying one of his daughters to the rulers of Morgannwg or Gwent, for reasons similar to his reluctance to marry a daughter to the King of Deheubarth - attacking your own son-in-law was not civilized conduct, to say the least, and while he had no plans of going to war with them right now that didn’t mean there wouldn’t potentially be reason for war in the future.
“There are a few unmarried Irish rulers,” she continued after a moment’s pause, “but I believe most of the Irish kings, or their sons of suitable age, are already married. However, there are two candidates - Cu Ulad, the King of Ulster, and Tadg, the second son of the King of Munster. My brother Maredudd left for Ireland this morning to see if either of them would be interested in marrying Hunydd.”
“If that’s everything, I think we’re done here,” said Bleddyn. “Marrying Efa to the Earl of Cornwall seems like the best available choice.”
After a moment, Efa said “I think Maredudd would be the best choice to replace me as chancellor.”
“You’re probably right,” said Bleddyn.
Rhiryd grinned. “Well, if he’s not up to the task, maybe his wife will be.”
Efa looked skeptical. “I’ve never heard her speak Welsh, ” said Efa, “and I certainly don’t speak Norse. I’m not sure if she speaks Gaelic, but I know that I don’t.”
Morien spoke up, which had been relatively rare in meetings concerned with diplomacy and marriage.
“What about a dowry? Shall we levy a marriage duty to pay for the dowry or pay from the royal treasury without levying a tax?”
Bleddyn nodded. “Levy a marriage duty. I’ll leave you to figure out the details. The rest of you are dismissed. Rhiryd, bring the Cornish emissaries to the throne room. Efa, you and I will inform them of our decision.”